Overview
Clipboard History in SuperCmd:- Automatic monitoring - Polls clipboard every 1 second (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:65)
- Stores up to 1000 items - Configurable limit
- Supports multiple types - Text, images, URLs, files
- Persistent storage - Survives app restarts
- Fast search - Find items by content
- Privacy-aware - Filters internal clipboard probes
Clipboard monitoring starts automatically when SuperCmd launches. History is saved to
~/Library/Application Support/SuperCmd/clipboard-history/.Clipboard Item Types
Supported item types (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:46):Type Detection
Automatic content type classification (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:152):Using Clipboard History
Open Clipboard Manager
Press SuperCmd hotkey, then search for “Clipboard Manager” or use
Cmd+Shift+V.Clipboard Manager UI
The UI is implemented insrc/renderer/src/ClipboardManager.tsx:
Layout
- Left Panel (40%): Item list with icons and previews
- Right Panel (60%): Full preview of selected item
- Search Bar: Filter by content
- Filter Tabs: All, Text, Images, URLs, Files
- Actions Footer: Keyboard shortcuts and actions
Visual Design
Image Support
Images are stored separately for efficiency (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:236):Image Storage
- Detection: Clipboard image detected
- Format Check: Supports PNG, JPG, GIF, WebP
- Size Limit: Max 10MB per image
- Storage: Saved to
clipboard-history/images/[uuid].png - Metadata: Dimensions, format, size recorded
GIF Preservation
Animated GIFs are handled specially (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:22):GIF animations are preserved when copying back to clipboard. Other apps that support GIFs will see the animation.
Search & Filtering
Content Search
Search by partial text match (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:450):Type Filtering
- All
- Text
- Images
- URLs
- Files
Show all clipboard items (default)
Persistence
Saving History
History is saved automatically (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:137):Loading on Startup
History loads when SuperCmd starts (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:100):Deduplication
Prevents duplicate entries (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:197):Text Deduplication
Why Dedupe?
- Prevents cluttering history with repeated copies
- Keeps most recent timestamp for each unique item
- Maintains 1000-item limit more effectively
Actions
Available actions for clipboard items:| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Copy to Clipboard | Enter | Copy item again |
| Paste Directly | Cmd+Enter | Copy and paste to frontmost app |
| Delete Item | Cmd+Delete | Remove from history |
| Clear All | Cmd+Shift+Delete | Clear entire history |
Privacy Features
Internal Probe Filtering
SuperCmd uses clipboard probes for some operations. These are automatically filtered (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:68):Sensitive Data
While SuperCmd stores clipboard history locally, consider:- Passwords: May be copied from password managers
- API Keys: Could appear in history
- Personal Info: Credit cards, SSNs, etc.
Temporary Disable
Pause monitoring for sensitive operations:Clipboard monitoring can be disabled in Settings > General > Clipboard History.
Settings
Enable/Disable Monitoring
Settings > General > Clipboard History:- Toggle monitoring on/off
- Does not affect existing history
History Limit
Default: 1000 items (configurable):Maximum Text Length
Very large text items are skipped:Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Open Clipboard Manager | Cmd+Shift+V |
| Search | Cmd+F |
| Select Next | ↓ or Tab |
| Select Previous | ↑ or Shift+Tab |
| Copy Item | Enter |
| Paste Item | Cmd+Enter |
| Delete Item | Cmd+Delete |
| Clear All | Cmd+Shift+Delete |
| Close Manager | Escape |
Best Practices
Search Often
Use search to find old items quickly instead of scrolling
Use Filters
Filter by type (Images, URLs) to narrow results
Clear Periodically
Purge history monthly to free space and improve privacy
Check Before Pasting
Use preview panel to verify content before pasting
Storage Management
Disk Usage
Clipboard history storage:- Text/URLs/Files: ~1KB per item (in history.json)
- Images: Varies (typically 50KB - 2MB each)
- Total: Usually < 100MB for full history
Clearing Storage
Manually clear all data:- Close SuperCmd
- Delete
~/Library/Application Support/SuperCmd/clipboard-history/ - Restart SuperCmd (fresh history starts)
Troubleshooting
Items not appearing in history
Items not appearing in history
- Check clipboard monitoring is enabled (Settings > General)
- Verify item type is supported (text, image, URL, file)
- Check if item exceeds size limits (10MB images, 100KB text)
- Ensure you’re copying, not cutting
Images not loading
Images not loading
- Image file may have been deleted from disk
- Check
clipboard-history/images/directory - Verify file permissions
- Clear history and re-copy image
History lost after restart
History lost after restart
- Check
history.jsonfile permissions - Verify app has write access to user directory
- Look for error logs in Console.app
Duplicates appearing
Duplicates appearing
- Deduplication only works for exact matches
- Extra whitespace creates “different” items
- Images always create new entries (no dedup)
Advanced Usage
Programmatic Access
Extensions can access clipboard history:Extensions cannot access full clipboard history for privacy reasons. They only see current clipboard content.
Performance
Polling Efficiency
Clipboard is polled efficiently (src/main/clipboard-manager.ts:282):Memory Usage
History kept in memory for fast access:- Text items: ~1KB each in RAM
- Image metadata: ~500 bytes (images stored on disk)
- 1000 items: ~1-2MB total RAM